One day after enacting a near-complete abortion ban, the “pro-life” state of Alabama has executed someone who had intellectual disabilities.

Samra invoked religion as he was executed by the state. His attorney held out hope that Governor Kay Iveywould extend her supposed “pro-life” beliefs to death penalty victims as well, but the hypocrisy remained in place.

Steven Sears, one of the attorneys, said the inmate received a denial of clemency from Gov. Kay Ivey’s office several hours earlier Thursday. Sears said he had gained hope on Wednesday when Ivey talked about the sanctity of life in signing a bill to virtually outlaw abortion in the state.

“Today my hopes were dashed. I guess she didn’t mean it,” he said after the execution.

Alabama executed a convicted murderer on Thursday, a day after the state enacted a near-total ban on abortions — two actions on contentious social issues that often have people across the political spectrum invoking the sanctity of human life.

“It’s a contradiction that I always observed,” said Hannah Cox, the national manager of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, an advocacy group. Approving of executions, Ms. Cox said, is “a stance that cheapens the pro-life argument.”

Starting in early childhood, family members observed that Brandon was developmentally slow and suffered tremors in his hands, and was in special education most of his life before dropping out of high school. Mental health experts found prior to trial that Brandon had a low IQ and recommended neurological testing after finding evidence of brain dysfunction.

But the appointed lawyers did not hire or consult with an expert in intellectual disability or obtain the recommended brain scans.

Instead of investigating evidence of brain dysfunction, trial counsel repeatedly told the jury that Brandon was a follower of Satan and his involvement in the crime was related to his membership in a Satan-worshipping gang — allegations so baseless and prejudicial that even the prosecutor recognized they could not be used against Brandon at trial.

Hello Randy. I agree. I mentioned something like this before. Again this shows the hypocrisy and what this fight is about. When Hobby Lobby and the Catholic church were fighting in court to not give birth control in their insurance, and when even signing a form letting the insurance company do it with out the involvement of those organizations was too much, they had no problem with Viagra being covered by insurance. These groups in prior years demanded that the “father” of the fetus be given the right to void an abortion request by the woman caring the zygote, yet when laws were introduced to let a wife have say over a vasectomy of the husband the male politicians were outraged.
This seems so much like the show handmaiden’s tale that it scares me these people really want a world like that. Hugs

Almost every single inmate has mental defect. The other day I watched a TED study about women in prison. 80% have been physically abused and had signs of trauma in their EEG. Many have had multiple concussions and traumatic brain injury. The men were right up there with the statistically.

Hello Jim. I have often wondered if our prison system it self did not create mental illness and defect. That is one reason I think Norway has such a low recidivism rate is they treat the prisoners like people and give them respect ( which is returned by the prisoners ) and education and reform is primary , not punishment. I think we have a serious problem with our prison system and how people are punished in the US. Plus when people “pay for their crime” they still are punished for life with the label felon or convict all their life making everything in life horribly difficult. Hugs

I am a 56 year old gay man who has been very lucky in life. Life is an adventure and I live it that way. I am in a long term married relationship with a wonderful man I adore. This is our 29th year together.

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